Hoop toy

ABSTRACT

A hoop toy comprising an annular member of circular shape made of a flexible resilient material, said annular member having generally parallel side walls and a wall connecting wall spanning the side walls at their inner edge defining a radially outwardly facing channel, a clip connecting the terminal ends of the body in end-to-end relation, said clip conforming generally to the contour of the outer faces of the side walls and connecting wall of said annular member and means for securing said clip to said annular member to lock the ends thereof in end-to-end relation.

United States Patent 1 Sun [ HOOP TOY [76] Inventor: George C. Sun, 801Cooper Landing Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ. 08034 [22] Filed:- July 31, 1972[21] Appl. No.: 276,370

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 79,434, Oct.9, 1970,

abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. 46/220 [51] Int. Cl A63h ll/00 [58] Field of Search46/220; 24/265 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 943,97612/1909 Kornreich 24/265 1,116,786 11/1914 Beadles 46/220 X Myslinski46/220 1 Sept. 24, 1974 Primary ExaminerLouis G. Mancene Attorney,Agent, or FirmI-lowson and Howson; Eugene E. Renz, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A hoop toy comprising an annular member of circular shapemade of a flexible resilient material, said annular member havinggenerally parallel side walls and a wall connecting wall spanning theside walls at their inner edge defining a radially outwardly facingchannel, a clip connecting the terminal ends of the body in end-to-endrelation, said clip conforming generally to the contour of the outerfaces of the side walls and connecting wall of said annular member andmeans for securing said clip to said annular member to lock the endsthereof in end-to-end relation.

1 Claim, 11 Drawing Figures SHEET 2 OF 2 FIGS.

HOOP TOY This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 79,434, filedOct. 10, 1970 now abandoned.

This invention relates to toys and more particularly to a hoop-type toydesigned for rolling or pushing along a surface by means of a stick.

There are many toys and recreational items which provide recreational aswell as physical activity for children. The present invention isdesigned to provide such a toy at a relatively modest cost. The toy ofthe present invention also has a variety of uses. The toy is of durableconstruction and is extremely economical to manufacture.

The toy of the present invention is in the form of a circular hoophaving an out-turned U-shaped channel which is adapted to be engaged bya control stick to manipulate the device and actuate it over a surfacesuch as the ground. Thus, in its primary function, the child simplygrips the control stick in one hand and positions it inside the channeland then urges the hoop forwardly along the ground. Another way of usingthe hoop is to secure a plurality of the control sticks in endto-endrelation so that they form a rail or a trackway and then suspend therail between two persons. The object of the game would then be to eitherbalance the hoop on the rail or to make the hoop ride the rail from oneend to the other without falling off.

These and other objects of the present invention and the variousfeatures and details of the operation and construction thereof arehereinafter more fully set forth with reference to the accompanyingdrawings wherein;

FIG. I is a view showing the hoop in one of its functions;

'FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section ofthe-terminal ends of the connecting clip;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the clip or bracket for connecting theterminal ends of the hoop;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views showing the steps for assembling theclip to hold the terminal ends of the hoop in confronting relation;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view partly in section similar to FIG. 2ofa modified form of hoop in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the control stick for actuating thehoop;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines l0l0 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view showing two control sticks joinedtogether in end-to-end relation.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a hoop-type toygenerally designated by the numeral 10 which is constructed inaccordance with the present invention. The hoop toy comprises an annularbody member 12 of generally U-shaped cross section having generallyparallel side walls 14 and 16 and a connecting wall 18 bridging the sidewalls at the inner terminal circumferential edge so that the channel 20defined faces radially outwardly. The hoop is preferably made of aresilient material which may be extruded, for example high densitypolyethylene, polypropelene, polyvinyl chloride or a high-impactpolystyrene.

The hoop is joined at its terminal ends as illustrated in FIG. 2 bymeans ofa clip or bracket 22. The clip 22, which is preferably made ofmetal, comprises a body portion 24 of generally U-shaped cross sectionterminating in a pair of inwardly directed flanges 26 and 28. Theflanges as illustrated have locking means in the form of angularlydisposed pairs of teeth at opposite axial ends of the flanges as at30a,30b and 32a,32b. In

the assembled relation, the flanges 26 and 28 overlie the top edge ofthe side walls 14 and 16 of the hoop and a portion of the inner wallwith the teeth firmly imbedded in the inside side wall in the mannershown in FIG. 3. The upper edge of the side walls 14 and 16 adjacent theterminal ends is recessed as at 16a and 18a to a depth approximately thethickness of the clip flanges 26 and 28 so that the clip does notprotrude outwardly beyond the trace of the upper edge of the side wallswhen assembled. Rivets 34 and 36 which engage through aligned openings38 and 40 in the clip and terminal end portions of the hoop may beprovided to more firmly secure the terminal ends of the hoop inconfronting end-to-end relation.

The hoop-type toy described above is comparatively economical tomanufacture and simple to assemble. For example, the hoop body 12 ispreferably made of an extrudable material and is extruded in the form ofan elongated rod. The rod then is cut to suitable lengths as determinedby the finished size or diameter of the hoop. Thereafter, the rodsection is bent to a circular shape and the clip loosely applied overthe terminal ends. The assembly is then positioned over a fixture or die41 having an arcuate saddle 42 to receive the clip and a ram 44 bendsthe flanges over the edge of the side walls and causes the teeth toembed in the inside face of the side walls in the manner shown.

The hoop toy described above is preferably of an outside diameterbetween about 22 inches to 32 inches and the wall thickness W of theannular member is preferably between one-sixteenth inch to about sevensixty-fourths inch. Additionally, the height H extending from the topedge of the side walls to the bottom edge of the axial wall 128 ispreferably between one-half inch to about three-fourths inch, and thewidth W of the body portion is preferably between about seveneighthsinch to about 1 inch. It has been found that when the hoop toy is madein this configuration, and is made of a resilient material such ashigh-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride orhighimpact polystyrene, it lends itself to formation into a circularconfiguration after extrusion in a rod-like form. Further it has beenfound that if the annular member of the hoop toy is made ofaconfiguration outside of the above-recited parameters, there are certainproblems in the formation of thecircular shape and assembly of the clipto fasten securely the terminal ends of the annular member.

There is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 a modified form of the hoop toyconstructed in accordance with the present invention. In accordance withthis embodiment of the invention, the hoop-type toy consists of anannular body portion 116, the terminal ends of which are supported inconfronting relation by means of a clip 118. The clip in the presentinstance is of generally U- shaped configuration conforming to the outercontour of the annular member and is secured thereto by means of rivetsand 122. The body portion is of generally U-shaped configuration havingradial side walls 124 and 126 and an axial wall 128. As best illustratedin H6. 8, the side walls are enlarged at the outer edge portions toprovide a circumferentially extending shoulder as at 130. Additionally,the outer surface of the annular body 116 is provided with a series ofcircumferentially extending ribs 132 which, in the present instance, arespaced radially down the side walls and terminate at the juncture of theside wall and axial wall 128. These ribs serve as a friction means whenthe hoop is rolled along a surface and tends to sway to oneside of aplane which is vertical to the ground or the other. Additionally, notethat the clip sides terminate adjacent the shoulder 130 and merge in acontinuous line with the enlarged circumferentially extending terminaledges of the annular member.

The hoop toy described above as in the embodiment described above ispreferably of an outside diameter between about 22 inches to 32 inchesand the wall thickness W of the annular member is preferably betweenone-sixteenth inch to about seven sixty-fourths inch. Additionally, theheight H extending from the top edge of the side walls to the bottomedge of the axial wall 128 is preferably between one-half inch to aboutthree-fourths inch and the width W of the body portion is preferablybetween about seven-eighths inch to about 1 inch. It has been found thatwhen the hoop toy is made in this configuration, and is made ofaresilient material such as high-density polyethylene, polypropelene,polyvinylchloride or high-impact polystyrene, that it lends itself toformation into a circular configuration after extrusion in a rod-likeform.

This hoop-type toy is made in generally the same manner as the methoddescribed above. Thus, the annular member initially is of rod-like formand is formed by means, for example of an extrusion, which extrusion iscut into appropriate predetermined lengths to form rod sections. The rodsections are then preformed to a circular shape and then the clip,having preformed holes therein, is assembled by means of the rivets 120and 122.

The hoop-type toy has many entertaining, interesting and beneficialuses. For example, the primary use is as an exercise device wherein thecontrol stick 50 is positioned downwardly at an angle relative to theground and in engagement in the U-shaped groove. In this position theuser simply moves in a forwardly direction whereby the continuedengagement of the stick in the groove stabilizes the hoop and effectsrolling action of the hoop relative to the stick. This provides goodexercise for the user and requires a degree of dexterity in maintainingthe hoop in a continuous rolling action. Another useful utilization ofthe hoop consists in telescoping or connecting a plurality of thecontrol sticks 50 togetherto form a trackway or rail which then issuspended between two persons. To this end, the X- shaped ribs extendinginteriorly of the control stick may be terminated short of the outerterminal ends to form pockets to receive a plug insert 52 whereby thesticks may be joined in end-to-end relation. It is noted that thecontrol stick may have other configurations facilitating connectionthereof in end-to-end relation. The hoop is then positioned on the railby one person and the balance maintained to roll the hoop to the otherperson.

I claim:

1. A hoop toy comprising an elongated member made of a flexibleresilient material having opposite terminal ends and formed to acircular configuration. said elongated member having generally parallelradially outwardly directed side walls and an axial connecting wallspanning the side walls at their inner edge defining a radiallyoutwardly facing channel, a clip connecting the terminal ends of thebody in end-to-end relation, said clip conforming generally to thecontour of said elongated member and including a pair of flangesoverlying the top edge of the side walls and having pairs of angularlydisposed teeth members at opposite ends of each flange engaging theinner face of the side walls to lock the ends of said annular member inend-to-end relation whereby said flanges are spaced apart approximatelythe width of said outwardly-facing channel, the upper edge of the sidewalls adajcent the terminal ends being recessed to a depth approximatelythe thickness of the portion of the clip overlying the upper edge of theside walls and said flanges of the clip engaging the inner face of theside walls so that the outwardly directed U-shaped channel is continuousfor the entire circumference of the hoop toy, said elongated memberbeing preferably of an outside diameter of between about 22 to 32inches, the thickness of said side walls being between one-sixteenthinch to about seven sixtyfourths inch, the height extending from the topedge of the side walls to the bottom edge of the connecting wall beingpreferably between one-half inch to about threefourths inch, and thewidth of the elongated member being preferably between aboutseven-eighths inch to about 1 inch.

1. A hoop toy comprising an elongated member made of a flexibleresilient material having opposite terminal ends and formed to acircular configuration, said elongated member having generally parallelradially outwardly directed side walls and an axial connecting wallspanning the side walls at their inner edge defining a radiallyoutwardly facing channel, a clip connecting the terminal ends of thebody in end-to-end relation, said clip conforming generally to thecontour of said elongated member and including a pair of flangesoverlying the top edge of the side walls and having pairs of angularlydisposed teeth members at opposite ends of each flange engaging theinner face of the side walls to lock the ends of said annular member inend-to-end relation whereby said flanges aRe spaced apart approximatelythe width of said outwardly-facing channel, the upper edge of the sidewalls adajcent the terminal ends being recessed to a depth approximatelythe thickness of the portion of the clip overlying the upper edge of theside walls and said flanges of the clip engaging the inner face of theside walls so that the outwardly directed U-shaped channel is continuousfor the entire circumference of the hoop toy, said elongated memberbeing preferably of an outside diameter of between about 22 to 32inches, the thickness of said side walls being between onesixteenth inchto about seven sixty-fourths inch, the height extending from the topedge of the side walls to the bottom edge of the connecting wall beingpreferably between one-half inch to about three-fourths inch, and thewidth of the elongated member being preferably between aboutseven-eighths inch to about 1 inch.